Chuck Vs The Robbers
by dyingonaprayer
Summary: When Chuck finds more than he bargained for on a late night trip to the bathroom, Ellie has to save him. Can she stop the robbers from hurting him? Chuck whump!
1. Chapter 1

Thirteen year old Chuck Bartowski tip toed down the stairs, not wanting to wake his older sister. He was headed for a late night trip to the bathroom. His father had gone on another business trip, so he didn't need to worry about him. He reached the bottom of the stairs successfully, and headed toward the kitchen…

And stopped dead.

There were three men in his house. They were all clad in black, with ski masks over their faces. _ROBBERS! _His mind screamed at him.

He lunged for the door screaming "ELLIE! ROBBERS! GET OUT!" as loud as he could. One of the robbers grabbed him by his hair. He continued to scream for help until the robber put a hand over his mouth. Taking this opportunity, Chuck bit down hard. The robber, outraged, kicked him in the stomach. All the air rushed out of him, and he fell hard on the floor.

As soon as he could breathe again, he jumped back up, and lunged one of them. He pulled off the robbers masks, but before he could do anything else, one of them punched him. He landed on the floor again. The robber whose mask he had torn off was pulling in back on, but not before Chuck could see his face. The man had a long scar running down the side of his face, grey hair, and bright green eyes.

He heard a _Thump! Thump! Thump!_ Of someone rushing down the stairs. Ellie appeared, phone in hand, at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Chuck!"

Then she looked defiantly up at the robbers. "I called 911." The robbers glanced at each other.

"Let's get out of here."

"Wait!" the grey-haired one said. "He saw my face."

The other robber sighed, before pulling out his gun.

"NO!" Ellie screamed, lunging for her little brother. The grey haired one pulled her back, pinning her arms behind her. She struggled, desperately as she watched one of the robbers point the gun at Chuck. _Come on! Hurry up! _She willed the police. The man pulled the trigger.

_BAM!_

Ellie screamed so loud that she swore her throat must have torn in half. It ripped through her throat, burning her mouth. The robber let her go, and she heard the door slam.

She crawled over to Chuck, pushing her hands against the bleeding like they did on television. It seeped through her fingers, and she began to cry.

"You're going to be okay Chuck." She managed through the tears. "You'll be fine. Everything will be fine."

Sirens began to wail in the distance, and she continued to talk to Chuck. Telling him to hold on. She looked at his face. He was staring at her, focusing on her. Pushing everything else away.

"Ellie…" he whispered.

"I love you Chuck. Don't leave me!"

Paramedics came then, pushing her away from Chuck. She couldn't stop crying.

"Eleanor Bartowski?" a police officer asked her. "Are you the one who made the 911 call?"

She nodded and said "They shot Chuck. They shot my little brother!"

"I know sweetie. Do you need a ride to the hospital?"

Ellie nodded. "Alright, let's go."

She waited in the waiting room of the hospital for hours. The police couldn't get a hold of her father. She was alone. She was all Chuck had. Chuck was all she had. She couldn't lose Chuck…

Eventually a doctor came out. She spoke kindly and softly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you Eleanor?"

"Ellie. People call me Ellie."

"Alright Ellie. Chuck just came out of surgery. He's going to be okay."

Ellie started to cry again, this time out of happiness . "Thank you." She said, hugging the doctor. "Thank you, so much!"

Relief fell over Ellie, and she fell asleep on a couch in the waiting room, making sure the nurses knew to wake her up the moment she was allowed to see Chuck.


	2. Chapter 2

Sixteen year old Ellie Bartowski was awakened by a nurse about two hours later by a nurse.

"He's awake, and he's asking for you." She said.

"Thank you. Um… what room is he in?"

"203. Over there." She said, pointing.

"Okay. Did you get a hold of my dad?"

"Not yet."

Ellie smiled and thanked the nurse before heading toward the direction she had pointed. Ellie paused at the door of Chuck's room. She was nervous at what she might find behind it. She took a deep breath, and turned the handle.

Chuck was lying in a hospital bed. He looked pale and small and helpless. There were wires connected to him from all over the room and the _Beep. Beep. Beep._ Of the heart monitor. He smiled when he saw her.

"I'm sorry Ellie. I shouldn't have pulled his mask off."

"Sorry! Chuck, if anyone should be sorry, it's me."

"Why would you be sorry?"

"I didn't protect you."

"Ellie, no offence, but you're a sixteen year old girl against three grown men. I don't think it would have helped much."

Ellie giggled. "I guess not."

"Is Dad here?"

"They can't get a hold of him."

"Oh."

Ellie felt anger rush through her at Chuck's disappointment. He should have been there. He could have protected Chuck. Then they wouldn't be in this mess. He should be here now. He should be here worrying over Chuck, and dealing with all the medical things. Not her. She shouldn't _have _to protect Chuck.

But she did.

"He'll be here eventually. Don't worry Chuck."

The nice doctor from before, Dr. Harper, her nametag read, came into the room. "Ellie, may I speak with you outside for a minute?"

Ellie left the room with Dr. Harper, sending a reassuring smile over her shoulder for Chuck.

"Ellie, do you have any other relatives we could call besides your father?"

Ellie shook her head. Nobody except her mother. And she had no idea where she could be. "Why?"

"You don't need to worry about it…"

"Yes I do. Chuck is all I have, and I'm all Chuck has."

Dr. Harper sighed. "Chuck needs more surgery, but we need your father's consent to do it."

"And he's still not answering his phone?"

"No."

"Can I give consent?"

"No, you're not even eighteen."

Ellie sighed.

"Are you sure there isn't anyone else?"

"I'm sure. Unless you can find my mother, we don't have any other family."

"What's your mother's name?"

"Mary Bartowski."

"Thank you. Why don't you go be with your brother?"

She nodded and headed back into Chuck's room.

Ellie was definitely worried now. She sat by Chuck's bed, holding his hand all night. Waiting.


	3. Chapter 3

In the morning, Ellie woke up with her head on Chuck's bed, hand still gripping Chuck's.

"Ellie?" Dr. Harper said, coming into the room.

"Yes?"

"I found your mother. She's on her way."

Ellie's mouth literally fell open. "What?"

"She said to make sure it's clear to you that's she's just coming to help Chuck, and then she's leaving again."

"Oh… okay."

Ellie felt numb. Her mom was coming? She hadn't seen her mom in four years. Four years was a long, long time for someone her age. Dr. Harper was standing in the doorway still, probably worried about her mental state.

"Ellie?"

"Hmm? Oh. I'm okay. Uh… did she say when she'll be here?"

"Two hours."

"Thanks."

Chuck was beginning to wake up, and Dr. Harper checked his vitals before retreating to other patients.

Ellie was fighting with whether or not to tell Chuck mom was coming or not. In the end, she decided against it. Chuck didn't need any more stress right now. After all, he was the one who needed surgery. He was the one who had been shot by robbers.

Two hours passed by much too fast. Ellie wasn't ready for this. But she had to go do it.

"Chuck." She said. "I'll be back, okay?"

And she headed towards the waiting room.

Mary Bartowski was horrified when she got the call. Her son Chuck had been shot?

After everything she and Stephen had done to protect them…

Her kids needed her. And even though she couldn't afford to stay more than a couple hours, she was secretly glad at the chance to check on them.

A kind doctor gave her some paper work, and she began to fill out. She hadn't planned on seeing Chuck and Ellie, but she also hadn't planned on Ellie storming into the waiting room.

"Why?" she asked.

"Ellie, I thought you would be with Chuck."

"Well I'm not. So why did you leave?"

Mary sighed. "It's complicated. You're not old enough to understand."

"You shouldn't have left us! You should have been there to protect us! And dad should have too!"

"I was protecting you! By leaving."

"Really? Because we don't seem very safe to me!"

"One day, Ellie. One day it'll all make sense. But not right now. So if you want my help, then go be with Chuck and let me fill out this paperwork, and leave."

"Fine!"

And with that my only daughter stomped away from me, for what might be the last time I would ever see her.

It killed me to leave them, and I hoped one day they would know that.


	4. Chapter 4

Chuck was sitting propped up on his bed, reading a sci-fi book, when Morgan Grimes entered the room.

"Chuck! I just heard the news, I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier!"

"It's okay buddy."

"So what was like? Getting shot?"

"Painful."

"Oh, come on, even I know that!"

"It was _really _painful."

Morgan sighs in disappointment.

"So… you're gonna be okay and everything, right?"

"Well they're gonna do another surgery."

Really? Wow, dude this is serious."

"I know."

"Chuck." Ellie entered the room, returning from the café. "Dad's coming."

Chuck sighed in relief. "Good."

Ellie smiled. "Yeah."

"So um… you'll never guess what happened today at school." Morgan said.

Two hours later, Stephen Bartowski entered Chuck's hospital room.

"Chuck. I'm so sorry! This should never have happened."

"Well it did." Chuck said. "The past is the past, it's okay."

"Mr. Bartowski?" Dr. Harper said. "Why don't you come out into the hall so I can explain everything to you?"

"Alright."

After the doctor briefed him, Ellie and Stephen stood vigil at Chuck's bedside until it was time for him to go into surgery.

For a while, they talked like they were a normal family that did normal things. Even though they were a completely abnormal situation, even for them.

When they took Chuck for surgery, Ellie and Stephen sat side beside in waiting room, reading crappy magazines, and trying to ignore the other crying families around them.

After Chuck's surgery, he stayed in the hospital two more days, and was out of school for another week. After that, everything, well most everything went back to normal.

Because after that day, Ellie insisted that Chuck take a phone with him whenever he went downstairs at night.

And Stephen called them every night he was away.

And every anniversary of that day, Ellie insisted Chuck stay with her all day.


End file.
